What If
by BML Hillen-Keene
Summary: What If... Percy had had a different reason for leaving home. What If... it was something he could tell no one before it happened. What If... OliverPercy friendship only
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Don't own._

_Errr... you hate me, I know, I keep posting new stories when I should be updating my other ones. But this one didn't want to be left alone. Away, the basic plot? Well, what if Percy had a very different reason for the fight he had with his family. What if it wasn't even a real fight? What if he just needed to get somewhere really quickly and couldn't afford to reason though his decisions. What if... Yeah, that about covers it. Read, review and enjoy!_

_**What If**_

Fred and George had had it, they had had it with their mother crying at Christmas when the jumper was sent back, they had had it with everyone talking as if the family was something less than one without one of its members. So they had devised a cunning plan. Find out where Percy lived and drag him back to the burrow, kicking and screaming if necessary. They were rather proud of this plan, as they had come up with it on the spur of the moment while visiting the ministry to see their father. The war had been over for almost a year, everything was piecing itself back together slowly. The only thing that remained broken was their family. The thought had just struck them out of the blue and they had immediately changed course towards the records, where Percy's address should be kept as part of the employee register. It proved a disturbingly easy task to find their brothers file and the address, written neatly at the top of the first page.

Perhaps had they bothered to read on they mightn't have been so surprised by what they found when they got there and knocked on the door.

"Oh for the love of everything magical!" Percy's voice was easily distinguishable through the door, his tone taking on a note of frustration, annoyance, and resignation all mixed together. The twin's shared a look, that was a tone that had very normally been reserved for themselves. Whatever could Percy be so annoyed about. "OLIVER! Put that down right now!"

'Oliver?' they mouthed to each other, pressing closer suddenly.

"Oliver, could you give me a hand here; I can't do this and open the door at the same time!"

There was a laugh that the twins remembered from their old school team captain. What was Oliver doing in Percy's flat?

There was a loud bang, the sound of something hitting the floor. "I swear on Merlin's beard that if that is broken--"

"Percy, open the door, I've got it covered."

Percy's voice was closer to the door the next time he spoke. "Since when have you ever had it bloody covered." there was a slight pause when the twins knew Percy had reached the door and was most likely smoothing down his robes. Too bad they'd get all rumpled again when they dragged him off. After saying hi to Oliver of course. Percy opened the door, but his attention was distracted away from it by yet another loud bang, with a frustrated sigh he looked back, his body blocking most of the room. "I knew letting you talk me into buying those things was a bad idea!" he said.

Oliver, who the twins could just about see behind their brother laughed. "I only suggested it; you didn't have to buy them."

Percy shook is head. "Of course not, you only went and suggested it at Christmas. I had no choice in the matter." he turned back to the door. "Sorry, you'll have to excuse..." he took a step back as he recognised them.

"Percy?" Oliver asked having seen Percy moved away from the door and fearing the worst. The room fell silent.

"Um... What do you want?" he asked, his voice rising to a squeak by the end.

Fred'n'George grinned wickedly. "We're here to drag you back home so you can sort out the mess you made!" Fred told him sternly. "Hi Oliver!" George added with a wave.

Percy straightened suddenly. "I don't think so--" he began.

"You haven't got a choice!" the twin's said in unison, raising their wands.

Percy deflected the spell easily; after all, he was very skilled, despite what he did with his talents. "No, you misunderstand me. I don't think so at the moment."

"Oh, and why is that?" Fred demanded.

Percy seemed to deflate a little. "Because... em..."

Oliver came up behind him, resting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing reassuringly. "Well, you always knew it was gonna happen Perce. You gotta tell them now."

Percy grimaced. "Why did it have to be them!" he muttered. He squared his shoulders, shaking off Oliver's hand. "Fine. Would you like to come in for a moment and I'll try to explain why I can't go anywhere for the moment."

Curious now beyond words the twins nodded mutely and stepped in the small living room of the flat. Percy motioned them to the sofa, waiting until they took a seat before he attempted to begin. But his words got lost, and he looked to Oliver for help. Oliver shrugged and smiled.

George had been watching the two of them carefully. "You gay Percy?"

Percy's jaw literally dropped at that statement, and Oliver started to crack up. Glaring at Oliver Percy righted himself. "I most certainly am not!" he told them sternly.

"Then what?" Fred asked. "It had better be bloody good for putting mum through everything you did these last four years!"

Percy blew out a sigh.

"Maybe you should just show them." Oliver suggested, and before Percy could respond one way or the other, he bellowed. "Boys!"

Fred and George turned when the door at the left hand side of the room burst outwards, just in time to catch sight of two little redheaded bundles tumbling onto the floor. They frowned, for the moment completely uncomprehending, though there was something scarily familiar about them.

"Yes Uncle Oliver?" the bundles asked, detangling themselves and becoming two separate beings. Two small little boys, both with red hair and an abundance of freckles. A lot like...

Fred and George turned back to Percy, open-mouthed.

Percy could only offer them a helpless little smile. "Oliver, Arthur, could you come here for a moment." he called to the two little boys.

The two boys bounced over to him happily, coming to stand on either side of them. "Yes daddy?" the one on the right asked, looking up, the one on the left as far more interested in the two strangers on the sofa. "Who are they daddy?" he asked, scrunching his nose up cutely. They couldn't have been more than four, if even.

Percy's long fingers came down to rest on the curly hair of both his children, ruffling them lightly. "They're your uncles, Fred and George."

Two sets of bright blue eyes lit up immediately. "The one's who are twins like us?" the one on the right demanded happily.

"Yes Oliver, the one's who are twins like you and Arthur." Percy smiled, a smile his brothers could never recall seeing before, but they weren't paying too much attention to Percy, their entire attention was focused on the identical boys in front of them, both of whom looked like minuture versions of Percy, well, a kind of opposite mirror of Percy in a way. The one Percy had called Oliver seemed bouncy, happy and intent to cause mischief if the glint in his eyes were anything to go by. The other, Arthur, was like a mini Percy, complete with analysing stare, you could just tell he was working out exactly who, what, where, when and how when he looked at you.

"Ummm..." Fred managed finally, which was a lot more than George could have managed right then.

Oliver gave them both a clap on the shoulder, startling them. "See, that's why he can't go with you at the moment. The twins are a bit sick today." he told them.

Percy bit back a groan. "Which reminds me. Oliver, bathroom now, Arthur, go and get your glasses would you and give them to me before you lose them again and then bathroom!"

"But daddy!" the two cried in perfect unison.

"No 'but daddy's'. Get, now!" Percy said, he didn't raise his voice, didn't even make it seem like he was yelling. But the two boys went. At the door to the room they had burst out of little Oliver turned.

"When we've had our bath can we play with Uncle Fred and Uncle George?" he asked hopefully.

Arthur glanced over as well, also hopeful.

Percy looked at his brothers and back to his son's. "We'll see." he offered them.

"I'll keep an eye on them Percy, you'd better start explaining I reckon, before your brothers keel over from shock." Oliver chuckled.

Percy nodded, taking a seat in the recliner, looking thoughtfully at his brothers. Fred and George were just coming back to full awareness, still not fully comprehending, but almost there, when Percy suddenly called. "Oliver!"

"Yes?" Oliver called back.

"Take Arthur's glasses for me, and don't let them take those blasted brooms into the bath!"

"Yeah yeah. I have done this before Percy!"

"That's why I'm reminding you." that said he turned to his brothers. "Now. I assume you want an explanation, no?"

George shook himself out of it first. "Yes, Merlin yes. What the hell is going on here?"

"Did we step into an alternate reality without realising it?" Fred added.

Percy grimaced slightly. "Ah, no, you haven't."

"Ok," Fred started, pausing for a moment to gather his thoughts. "They're yours? Like definitely?"

Percy smiled wryly at that one. "I believe the evidence speaks for itself in that regard." he told them. "Yes, they're definitely mine."

"How come you never told us?" George asked. "I mean... mum would have..."

"Oh, and how was I supposed to do that, just waltz back to the burrow one day and say, 'well, you see my dear parents, I didn't mean to exile myself from the family, but my psycho ex-girlfriend as going to put your first grandchildren up for adoption of I didn't arrive at the hospital to take them by six exactly. The timing of our last conversation together couldn't have been worse.' Really, that would have gone over well."

"Why didn't you tell them before then?" Fred asked.

"Psycho ex-girlfriend? You mean Penelope Clearwater?" George asked.

"Yes, I mean Penelope. And I couldn't tell anyone before then Fred!" Percy snapped, the memory obviously striking a nerve.

"But why not?" Fred demanded. "Did you think mum would be mad at you for getting Penelope pregnant?"

"No..." Percy said softly.

"Then why?"

Percy closed his eyes tightly, rubbing his nose under his glasses for a moment. "Because she was going to have it terminated." he said quietly, so quietly his brother didn't hear him.

"She was what?" George asked, wanting to understand.

"She was going to kill them." Percy said louder.

"She what!" George let out all his breath in a rush.

Percy looked at them, not knowing what reaction to expect, but he was glad to see shock, and a trace of anger, hopefully not directed at him for once. "Yes. I suppose you would like the full story. I suppose I owe you that much after everything." he took a deep breath and sighed slowly.

Explaining would be difficult, but it might help them understand what had happened, why he had left as he had, why he had never come back.

Feeling their eyes boring into him, demanding answers, he knew it was going to be very difficult.

_err.. you like? Hopefully you do. well. reveiw!_

_Next Chapter: Percy begins his story. We drift into the past, and how all this started... well..._


	2. Chapter 2

_umm... it's not a particulary good chapter, but I did the best I could, and I hope you can overlook the fact that it isn't my best. Now, read, reveiw and enjoy. And this is not the end, there is much much more yet to come. This is only the tip of the ice-berg._

The last thing Percy had expected when he had gotten the owl from Penelope was this. They had broken up almost three months ago. After a rather disastrous incident, which was apparently the reason he had been called to a little cafe in Diagon Ally. To say Percy was surprised, would have been an understatement. Shocked was still an understatement. but Percy could not, at the moment come up with an appropriate word for just how unbelievably surprised, shocked, discombobulated and amazed, he was at this very moment. The best he could manage was a stuttering. "W...What?"

Penelope regarded him coldly. "I said I'm pregnant." she repeated, slowly enunciating every word as if he was stupid, which he most certainly was not. this was quite obviously not something she was particularly happy about. And if Percy could have gathered his thoughts, he would have seen it, and perhaps worded his next sentence a little more carefully. But, as it stood what he said was this;

"This is... this is brilliant!"

To which Penelope was hardly the most receptive. "No it isn't Weasely!" she snapped.

The use of his last name brought Percy back to himself with a start, and he frowned at her. "What?" he asked, of course, if he was to think of it logically they were too young to have children, weren't on the best of terms (the incident three months ago notwithstanding), and most likely didn't have a future together. and Percy would never think to force her into such a thing, but children were something he had grown up knowing everything about, and he had always known he wanted them, perhaps not as many as his parents, but at least one, possibly two. Not this early in his career, but he could cope he supposed, despite all the things going on. He looked at Penelope, she didn't seem very happy at all, now that he took the time to notice it.

"It is not a good thing Percy," she said, taking a sip of her tea, looking at it disinterestedly as she said. "I'm having it terminated."

Percy was floored. "What?" he asked weakly, ignoring the little voice in his head that told him he was becoming like a broken record.

"Really Percy, it's not that difficult to understand. I'm having it terminated." she said, looking disgusted at his loss of self-control.

"But why?" Percy asked, staring at her like she had grown an extra head. How could anyone even think of destroying a tiny human life?

"Because I don't want it!" she said, her voice like ice, her fingers turning white where she was holding the cup handle so tightly. "It is nothing but an encumbrance. I don't have time for a child, not if I intend to make it anywhere." she told him stiffly.

It wasn't often that Percy showed his Weasely temper, but it was growing in him steadily. He desperately tried to keep a lid on it, but hearing her say it all so coldly, so uncaring... he couldn't stop some leaking out. "I want it." he bit out. And he did, truly. He did not expect it, but it was his, Penelope was a lot of things, but she would not lie about something like this. It was his, and he would do anything.

"Then you carry it!" she snapped at him. "Because I will not!" she stood and made to leave.

His hand shot out to catch her arm, holding her there. He looked up at her slowly, visibly reigning in his temper. "Penelope, wait. Don't make this decision yet, please." he said, almost pleading. "Why tell me? Why not just do it and I would never have known?"

"I wanted you to see what you've done to me. This thing could ruin my life!" she grit out, wrenching her arm out of his rip.

"Penelope... The last time I checked it took two to make a baby." he smirked slightly, before it dropped, mind busily trying to form some sort of plan. "Can't you please just carry it to term?" he asked.

"Why? So I'm left looking after some little brat when I should be working my way to the top of the career ladder? I don't think so." she told him, her feelings painfully clear on the subject.

"No." he told her. "Carry it to term, and if you still don't want it I'll take it, and you'll never have to even think about it again. I swear!" it was a quick, but heartfelt promise. One his brothers would be shocked to hear their ambitious brother making about anything.

She studied him carefully, as if searching for some hint of a lie.

"Please Penelope. I couldn't live with myself knowing you had killed my child and I didn't stop you. Please, just carry it to term, and then I'll take it. I swear it." he said.

She nodded slowly. "Alright... but there are a few conditions." she said, forestalling any thanks he might have bestowed on her. "You are to tell no one. If I have one member of your family congratulate me, one person in the ministry talking about 'your' child, I promise you I will terminate it without so much as a thought. I will not be named as its mother. I don't even want to know Percy. I will not have my life ruined by a mistake between us!"

Percy nodded slowly, considering. But she really left him no choice but to agree, he could not risk her killing his child. In the few short minutes he had had to come to terms with becoming a father soon he had embraced it rather quicker than he had ever thought possible. He would abide by the rules she set. When he had the child he could let everyone know. He would most likely have more explaining to do, but he didn't care.

x

The months had passed almost agonisingly slowly. He had had no word from Penelope, he had no idea what was goi ng on, and it was killing him. As a result, his work was suffering; he had completely missed the entire thing with Crouch, being so preoccupied with thoughts of his unborn child, with trying to stop himself blurting it out when his mother asked him if anything was wrong. The only thing that seemed to be going in his favour was the promotion he was in line for--though how that had happened he had no idea, what with his abysmal work this year. In actuality his work was not all that bad, he himself was just a bit more scatterbrained than he had ever been before, and as such his work was not up to his own standards of perfection, with was normally three times higher than anyone else's.

Even so, this promotion was a good thing. It meant he could finally afford to get his own place, and would have the money to afford baby things, though he knew his mother would probably give him anything he needed if he asked, but he couldn't do that until after the baby was born, and he had it. He still couldn't understand why Penelope was so against the idea of having a child. Was it himself that had caused this reaction within her against it, was the fact that he was the father so repulsive to her. He had spent months pondering it, sinking into the occasional bout of depression as his thoughts took him to places he would rather not go. But it was nearing the time of the birth, and his thoughts could stay in no place for more than a few seconds before they drifted back to thoughts of his child. Whether it was a boy or a girl, would it look like a Weasely, or take after its mother. He hoped that was not the case.

He had locked himself up in his room to avoid his mothers worry, and his fathers concerns. Though what they were concerned over was so far removed from his own thoughts he couldn't really pay them any heed. He knew it was driving his father mad that he refused to talk about the promotion. His family seemed to be of the opinion that Fudge was giving him it so he could spy on his family and the Order of the Phoenix his parents were involved in. He snorted softly at the thought of it. Him, spy on his own family, even for the ministry he would never do such a thing. But for the moment he could not give his father a satisfactory answer to why he would not turn down the promotion. Later, when he had his child he would explain.

He chewed his lip worriedly, looking out the window of his little room; it was over nine months now. Surely she should have contacted him by now. He forced himself to stop thinking any further, before he got into that fear that she had terminated it anyway, and was going to leave him waiting in vain with no word forever. He would never have pegged her as cruel, but that is what she had become in these months since that fateful day at the cafe. Cruel and he couldn't believe he had never seen it before.

He was startled by a beak knocking on his window. Standing quickly he scrabbled for the catch and pushed the window open, hoping this owl brought news of the birth and not just more work he had to do. The Owl hopped down and ruffled his brown feathers, holding out his leg. Percy took the note, feeding the owl some tidbits Hermes had left over. The Owl accepted them before taking off back out the window. Percy unfolded the note quickly and read it.

_Percy,_

_You have until six o'clock to come and claim your children. I have told the staff that if you do not come by that time they are to go up for adoption. I would suggest you get here quickly, unless you've changed your mind._

_Penelope Clearwater._

Percy was at the door to his room, unlocking it and racing down the stairs, it was twenty to six already. Penelope was playing a cold and cruel game with him. He was almost out the front door when his parents stopped him. He was aware he could have apparated from his room, and now that the thought occurred to him he wondered why he hadn't.

"Mother, father, I'm sorry, but I really have to go." he said, turning to leave, once outside he would apparate to St. Mungo's. It was the only place she could possibly have had the... children? He froze as it suddenly filtered through his brain. Children...

"Percy, we are going to discuss this promotion of yours now."

Shaking himself he looked at his father. "I can't, dad really. I have to go now. Can we talk about it when I get back?" he asked.

Arthur's face was stern. "No Percy, we talk about this now!"

Percy reluctantly turned, aware he now had just over fifteen minutes to get there. "What is there to talk about? I'm taking the promotion. I have my reasons." he said, as calmly as he could.

"Don't you see they're just giving it to you so you can spy on the order, so they know what we're doing. They don't believe You-know-who has returned, and want to stop our only hope at fighting him."

Percy had heard this argument one too many times, and it was starting to really irritate him now. "I don't believe he has returned either Father." he said, more harshly than he would have had he not had the need to leave quickly. He could explain later. He needed to leave now! "Now, if you'll excuse me." he turned away.

"Percy, I want to know what your reasons are, and if you don't tell me right now you might as well think about not coming back!" Arthur threatened.

Percy froze stone cold for only a moment. So, perhaps he would not get the chance to explain later. "If that's what you want." he said, stepping out the door. If that was how his father truly felt, if he could not trust him to explain everything when he returned. If he could not trust him to have good reasons for accepting this promotion. If he did not trust him not to betray the family. He knew his brothers felt h was taking the promotion to betray them, but then, they had never bothered to look for the real reasons. Like all the rest of them apparently. He scowled, raising his wand. He had ten minutes.

x

The maternity ward in St. Mungo's was quiet, surprisingly so, he would have expected at least a few families to be wandering the halls, looking at the new borns. But then, it was nearing the end of visiting hours, that could most likely explain it. He approached the nurse's station, looking nervously at the clock on the wall behind it. He had made it with a few minutes to spare.

"Hello?" the nurse asked kindly.

"Hello, sorry, I'm here to pick up... I suppose she might have put their names down as Weasely if any..." he looked at the woman helplessly.

She smiled. "Ah yes, the twins. The young lady did not give us her name, and really, it's not like we really need it except for the birth certificate, which she refused to be name on. She did give us the name Weasely. Told us you might come to pick them up."

"I'm on time, aren't I? I just got the Owl only twenty minutes ago to come and pick them up." he was nervous, and showing it, not something he normally did. But right now was not normal circumstances.

The nurse frowned, from what the girl had told her of this boy she had expected him not to show up at all, or if he did, that he would care even less than she did. This did not seem to be the case she now saw. He was honestly worried about being too late to claim his children. "You're on time, dear, don't worry." she stood up and stepped round the station. "Come along now." she led him down a corridor towards a viewing room. Behind the glass where she stopped and motioned him forward were two little cribs, with two little babies, wrapped up in blue blankets.

"Boys?" he asked, pushing his glasses up his nose and peering at the two sleeping bundles, each had a small curly mop of hair at the top of their heads. They were his all right. He pressed a hand against the glass, impulse taking him as he saw one of them scrunch up their face and blink open two huge blue eyes. He tore his eyes from them and looked at the nurse, who was smiling at him. He coughed slightly to cover his embarrassment. "Did she name them?"

The woman shook her head. "No."

He looked back at them. "When can I take them home..." he trailed off, remembering he no longer had one.

"You can take them now if you'd like, or we could keep them overnight if you need to make arrangements." she said kindly.

Percy offered her a rare smile. "Thank you. I'll be back first thing."

He looked back at the two babies, both asleep again. He smiled slightly before turning away. He made his way slowly back down the hall, unaware of the smile the nurse was bestowing on him. His mind was turning quickly, trying to work out what he was going to do. He couldn't go home; his father had made that abundantly clear. But he had nowhere else he could go. So absorbed as he was in his thoughts, that he didn't realise he was in danger of walking into some poor soul hobbling up the stairs until someone pulled him out of the way just in time. He blinked and looked at the hand that had grabbed his arm, before following the tanned arm upwards until he could see the persons face.

"Oliver?" he asked, surprised.

"Hey Percy, what brings you here? Your families not sick or anything are they?" the Scotsman's asked, a concerned look creeping into his eyes.

Percy shook his head. "No, no, nothing like that." he replied.

"You sick?"

Percy smiled slightly; he hadn't heard that level of concern from someone other than his mother in a long time now. "No, I'm not sick... I do have a slight problem though." he admitted, he had kept all of this inside for so long now he needed to tell someone. And Oliver was as good a person as any; they used to talk quite a lot when they were in school. Sharing a dorm room with one other person could get very lonely if you never spoke, nessicity had made them friends and confidents.

"You want to talk about it? I was just in visiting a team mate. H busted his leg up in training today." Oliver offered, seeing that Percy really needed to talk to someone about whatever was on his mind.

They went to a little muggle cafe round the corner from the hospital, and Percy poured out the whole sordid tale, from he broke up with Penelope to seeing his sons for the first time. Oliver had listened carefully, his eyes darkening when he heard what Penelope planned to do, and what she did. They grew wide in disbelief when he heard about Arthur had said, and had finally softened when Percy talked about his son's.

"So now," Percy in in conclusion. "I'm homeless, I have twins to look after, and I don't know how." he buried his head in his hands.

Oliver reached over, putting a friendly hand on Percy's shoulder. "You can stay with me until you get it sorted out." he offered.

Percy's head snapped up, and his studied Oliver's face intently, trying to discern if he was serious. "Are you sure. After all, you've got you training and early starts. Babies have a rather annoying habit of waking you up numerous times during the night." he said.

Oliver laughed. "I'm sure I can manage. I can seep through anything. Besides. Knowing you, you'll have everything sorted out in a week. Don't worry about it Percy. Stay with me for a while. I can even help out when I'm not training."

Percy could tell he was telling the truth, and he was glad he had made the effort to befriend Oliver during school. "Thank you Oliver." he said sincerely.

"No problem mate, no problem."

x

"And that, as they say, is history." Percy finished his tale with a slight smile, noting his brother's slack jaws.

Fred shook himself first. "So how come you're still living with Oliver... or are you still living with him?"

"You named little Oliver after big Oliver, right? So why name Arthur after dad?" George asked, the two questions overlapping as they spoke at once.

Percy raised a hand to make them fall silent. "Yes, I did name little Ollie after Oliver, because he helped me so much that first week, and it is a tradition in the Weasely family to name the first son after his grandfather, that was all." It wasn't all, as was evident by the look on his face, but the twins let it slide. "And yes, I'm still living with Oliver; it's just easier for the boys if we do. Oliver helps out with them a lot, and he's like live in baby sitter if I'm at work." he smirked a little.

"Hey, just admit that they love me already. I'm the great Uncle Oliver!" Oliver grinned, opening the door to the bathroom and allowing the two little twins to escape. Both dressed in identical pyjamas they scampered over to their father with joyous cries of "Daddy!"

"Hey boy's." Percy smiled, ruffling their hair. "Feeling better?"

"Lot's!" one answered, Fred and George couldn't tell which.

"Good, good. Arthur, glasses." Percy ordered.

The one who hadn't spoken groaned. "But Daddy I--"

"Arthur." Percy said warningly.

"Yes daddy." the little boy heaved a heavy sigh and trudged over to Oliver, who handed him a pair of tiny spectacles. He put them on reluctantly, before returning to his twin.

Fred and George watched them, and then looked at Percy. "Percy, you need to come home, you need to tell mum and dad about this." they told him seriously.

Percy shook his head. "I can't. And I must ask you not to say anything either."

"Percy." Oliver beat the twins to the punch.

Percy sighed deeply. "I'll tell them... just not now..." he looked at them, before his gaze slid to his sons. "I will. I promise. I just can't... not right now."

"Daddy?" Arthur asked, pulling on Percy's sleeve. "Daddy, are you ok?" Little Oliver looked over, blinking curiously.

"I'm fine. Why don't you ask Uncle Fred and George if they'd like to play with you for a little while." he suggested, shooting a look at Oliver, letting him know they needed to talk, now.

Blinking at being dismissed so quickly Fred and George gave in without much of a fight at the little boy's pleas. Determined to talk to Percy again before they left.

When both sets of twins were occupied in the boy's bedroom, Percy turned to Oliver. "Well?" he asked.

Oliver sighed deeply. "Percy, you've been putting this off for four years now. Don't you think it's time you let your parents know they're grandparents finally?" he asked quietly.

Percy sighed. "I know... I know... It's just difficult. What if father doesn't forgive me? What if none of it matters, if they don't want me back because I walked out. He told me as much when I did. It's just difficult." he looked up at Oliver helplessly. Oliver smiled reassuringly, coming to stand beside him, resting a friendly hand on his shoulder, a touch that had come to mean so much to Percy over the years. A way for Oliver to offer his silent support through everything.

And Percy had been in great need of that support in the years following his son's birth.


End file.
